Lifestyle Blog: Vintage Finds, Home Decor, Fashion, Art, Photography

Do you love flea markets and estate sales as much as I do? If you read my blog regularly, your answer is most likely a firm “YES”!

A few months ago my friends at Bon Ami introduced me their line of cleaning products since I do enjoy the “thrill of the hunt” as they call it; at yard sales, flea markets and the like. I quickly fell in love with their all natural cleansers and Bon Ami is now my go-to product to shine up and dust off just about anything!

I was thrilled when they offered my readers 3 Thrill of the Hunt kits which are packed with tons of goodies. I promise three of you will be lucky folks when this treat arrives! Check out my preview pictures below.

Ready to win? Simply leave a comment telling me the first thing you plan on cleaning with Bon Ami! I will pick 2 comments at random and 1 comment that’s my favorite on Sunday, September 30th 2012. That’s it! May the dirtiest gal win. Umm, cleaning joke.

P.S. You may want to follow my blog by email so you don’t miss out on the announcement!

Giveaways are open to legal residents of the United States only. Winner will be contacted up to 72 hours after the giveaway ends. At the commencement of the giveaway, (2) winners will be selected at random from all eligible entries and (1) will be selected as my personal favorite. Entrants and winner agree that the Giveaway Entities shall not be liable for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from participating in this Giveaway or from the acceptance or use of any prize awarded, including any future use of any winning entries. Sponsor reserves the right (but is not obligated) to verify eligibility qualifications of any winner.

A few weekends ago in the midst of moving and planning my wedding I took a break to walk the breezy aisles of the Javits Center for the New York International Gift Fair. It was my first time at NYIGF and the amount of booths were overwhelming. I gravitated toward well designed booths and innovative products which I am happy to share below! It was a fun day exploring the immense talent hidden in the booths.

Above:The Bodega Bag. Being a native New Yorker, I think the idea of a hip accessory for a plastic bag (quite often from a bodega) is brilliant. Not only is the chain easily toted along in your purse, but it prompts folks to re-use the plastic bag. Simple, chic and green.

Below: Some of you may have already seen my tweet about Hand in Hand, which is super stylish line of soaps and bath crystals with a mission. For every bar of soap sold a bar is donated to communities that are affected by poor water quality which in term cause disease. Love them, love their mission. Anthropologie agrees.

Above: Another company on a mission, Material Good – whose Little Shirley vases stole my heart before the show, did not disappoint in person. The fact that 10% of their profit goes to organizations which support cancer research, just makes each vase a little piece of perfection.

Below: While I strolled the Handmade Global Design area of the show, Mushmina‘s accessories struck a cord. Their bags, jewelry, pillows and scarves were beautifully designed and unique. Mushmina notably creates employment opportunities for women and men in developing countries with their product line.

Above:Geografia is making globes hip again with their line of paper globes. Packaged flat they allow the recipient to literally put the world together. Many of the products boast cute ‘core’ graphics and I especially like the globes you can personalize with white board pens. Genius!

Below: Perhaps it’s my love for wine or the fact that my wedding will be in wine country, but whatever the reason I fell in love with Rewined. This Charleston area company re-purposes wine bottles from local restaurants and creates soy based “wine scented” candles. Simply smart on the recycling side and super stylish on the design side with packaging that would make anyone fall in love! I might just need these for my wedding favors!All images (c) Little Maison. Please do not use without permission.

After a long hiatus from blogging, I am so pleased to return with my favorite series, My Little Maison! This time around, I am featuring the lovely Anastasia Christou from Anastasia Drawing & Dreaming. Her blog is a visual medley of ethereal images and crafty paper projects that she sells in her shop. A bit more about this Sydney, Australia native here below. Her blog is just dreamy!

I started my blog after discovering ‘Illustration Friday’ so once I started drawing and doing the weekly challenges I got right into the blogging community –I discovered the craft blogs, design blogs, lifestyle blogs!! Blogging made my day! I was hooked!

How often do you post and what is the majority of your content about?

I try to post at least three times a week but Ive done many ‘post every day for a month’ challenges too! Most of my content is about my inspirations, Food, Creativity, Décor and handmade and I love to throw in some Vintage Style posts too! I try to make it all pretty and visual!

What are your future plans for the blog?

To keep blogging and being part of the blogging community. I’d like to start some new blog series, I have a few ideas brewing and I hope to find more time to share more craft tutorials too! I think id like to do more guest blog posts on other blogs as well!

I asked Anastasia to share 3 of her favorite things from her home. I love the Domino Book too!

(1) My bedroom – I love to rescue pretty little plates from thrift stores, they are perfect for my jewelry so I have a few on my on my dresser. Also on my bedside table is the Domino Decorating book – one of my favorites decorating books! I took the photo on my crochet bedspread which is something else I love dearly, it was handmade by my mother, it took her so long and its so beautiful! I will treasure it forever!

(2) This is my new desk! I guess that’s why its so clean and tidy. We changed our house around a little so my work space and crafty supplies are now in our family ‘hangout’ room so its great to have two family spaces – I look forward to getting creative and messy, the only way to create!

(3) My Garden – I wish I had a green thumb but sadly I need a low maintenance garden and ours is just that!! I love to hang out in the garden, watch my boys play or just sit on the back steps and have my morning tea…

Finally, I asked Anastasia to share a favorite spot in her Little Maison. “My Kitchen! It got a makeover a couple of years ago and its still my favorite place to be, I enjoy baking and cooking, making tea or getting my boys some after school snacks so I’m hanging out in my kitchen often!”

As many of you know, I’ve been busy planning my wedding. It has caused a bit of delay in blogging, yet, some things are just too pretty not to share and giveaway!

In my research on bridal registries I came across Antiquaria. I featured some glassware from their site in my Goblet Post a while back and with one look at their products, I was hooked.

Antiquaria is definitely the go-to site for the vintage chic bride-to-be and vintage lovers alike. To celebrate my wedding and the end of summer, we’re giving away this perfect set of vintage linen napkins from the lovely collection of textiles on their site.

Simply like both the Little Maison and Antiquaria Facebook pages then leave a comment below telling us you’ve done so. One Winner will be chosen at random by Friday, September 14th 2012.

Giveaways are open to legal residents of the United States only. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner will be contacted up to 72 hours after the giveaway ends. At the commencement of the giveaway, (1) winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries. Entrants and winner agree that the Giveaway Entities shall not be liable for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from participating in this Giveaway or from the acceptance or use of any prize awarded, including any future use of any winning entries. Sponsor reserves the right (but is not obligated) to verify eligibility qualifications of any winner.

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I am extremely excited about attending my first New York International Gift Fair this weekend! My inbox has been flooded with press releases and invites to view new product lines but one stood out the most; Little Shirley vases made by Material Good. Not only are these petite vases stylish but the company donates 10% of the sales to cancer research in honor of the founder’s Grandmother, Shirley. Also, they are only $20!

I was so drawn into Material Good’s mission and product that I began to imagine what lovely wedding favors these would make for my guests. Enjoy the fabulous pictures below and I promise to report back after the show!

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I have so much going on in my life these days that I’ve been craving some organization at my home desk! The folks at Three By Three have the most functional and stylish organization ideas I’ve ever seen. I first bumped into their Sort It Out Wall Caddy (a bamboo dry erase organizer) and I was hooked. In perusing their site further I fell head over heels for the Hook Up Strip (pictured above) in spring green. I have two lamps in the same color and it couldn’t fit more perfectly into my home. The combination of hooks, magnetic space and even a place to stash mail and documents makes it more functional than any bulletin board that I’ve ever had!

I am thrilled to announce that courtesy of the folks at Three By Three, one person will win the same Hook Up Strip pictured above in spring green AND a set of Birdie Magnets in white pictured further below. Please note, other goodies not included.

What do you think of my new desk organization? If you could use some organizing, get ready for your chance to WIN below!

Simply like both the Little Maison and Three By Three Facebook pages then leave a comment below telling us you’ve done so. One Winner will be chosen at random on Friday, August 10th 2012.

Like Three By Three HERE and Little Maison HERE and don’t forget to leave a comment letting m know you’ve done so! If you already like my facebook page this will be super easy Good luck!

Giveaways are open to legal residents of the United States only. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Winner will be contacted up to 72 hours after the giveaway ends. At the commencement of the giveaway, (1) winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries. Entrants and winner agree that the Giveaway Entities shall not be liable for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from participating in this Giveaway or from the acceptance or use of any prize awarded, including any future use of any winning entries. Sponsor reserves the right (but is not obligated) to verify eligibility qualifications of any winner. Disclosure: I received the products for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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When all the girls in high school were leaving clouds of heavy floral perfume in their wake, I was dabbing on a musk, patchouli or vanilla based fragrance. Even years later, a small list of scents make the cut; none which are the “trendy” overly floral fragrances that are marketed to the masses. I prefer something unique. Thanks to the HBA Global Expo, I bumped into the Spadaro collection of fragrances, which are literally, a breathe of fresh air. Immediately I was drawn to their packaging as I am definitely an “art school” girl at heart. Sweet red boxes house Italian glass bottles adorned with a unique bronze pattern for every fragrance. Each bottle is more bathroom display worthy than the next. The scents are warm and inviting and reminiscent of patchouli, almonds, vanilla, honey, grapefruit, white pepper, sandalwood and even paprika.I tried all three fragrances last week but one stayed on my mind: Doux Amour. It’s romance in a bottle and will make a great holiday gift suggestion for my fiancé who is always on the hunt for a good gift to give. If you’re searching for a new signature fragrance, I’d highly suggest giving the Spadaro fragrances a try. They even have a sweet trio trial pack for just $10 HERE which is what I used to test them out last week. My trio of bottles above; you’ll notice that Doux Amour was most used! Let me know if any of you give it a try and which is your favorite.

Amanda from Flightless Bird is one talented chick! I first admired her whimsical art work on Etsy and have since watched her shop grow! There are so many little things about her work that make me smile; from the meticulous drawings of dreamy characters to the thoughtful idea of a handmade tea wallet.

I was thrilled when Amanda offered to co-host a giveaway of one of her Mermaid Art Prints (featured above) and offer 20% off to my readers in her shop by using code Maison20. Be sure to enjoy the loveliness of her work below and enter the giveaway for your chance to win a bit of mermaid magic for your Little Maison. See the details after the pretty stuff. READY TO WIN THE MERMAID PRINT?

To Enter: Follow us both on twitter AND Tweet this:

@littlemaison & @amandafayem are hosting a giveaway! Follow them for a chance to win something fabulous!

Flightless Bird Design is on Twitter HERE and Little Maison is on Twitter HERE!

One winner will be chosen at random on Monday, July 30th 2012 and announced within 72 hours.

Don’t forget to visit the Flightless Bird shop HERE and get 20% with code Maison20

Giveaways are open to legal residents of the United States only. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. We hereby release Facebook and Twitter of any liability. Winner will be contacted up to 72 hours after the giveaway ends. At the commencement of the giveaway, (1) winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries. Entrants and winner agree that the Giveaway Entities shall not be liable for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from participating in this Giveaway or from the acceptance or use of any prize awarded, including any future use of any winning entries. Sponsor reserves the right (but is not obligated) to verify eligibility qualifications of any winner.

This week was long! I was all over California and back gathering venue information for the wedding. I will report in soon on the progress but in the meantime I wanted to share this beautiful photo above at B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company.

Also, Little Maison has been undergoing some blog maintenance, please forgive the lack of writing! All should be settled soon. Enjoy the weekend!

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I first discovered design blogger Janet Lee not on the internet but through her beautiful new book Living in a Nutshell. A small package with a big punch, the book is filled with clever projects that are easily executed. Janet’s motto: Designing “out of the box” when you live in one, translates into pages filled with stylish small space ideas. As a long time New Yorker with a history of tiny abodes, Living in a Nutshell is my new go-to project resource. I am thrilled to share some of the fabulous work and words from Janet Lee in this Q&A. Run to the store and snag your copy, you’ll be truly inspired.

More about Janet Lee: TV producer and serial small space nester turned decorating blogger and author.

Describe the first DIY project that spurred on the Living in a Nutshell blog?

The catalyst for my nutshell blog developed from circumstance rather than a project per se. In the height of our national housing crisis, I found myself in the middle of a divorce and putting my dear “little maison” in Brooklyn on the market. I had no idea the apartment would sell in one afternoon! The same unit in the building sat on the market for months so I thought that was going to be my fate. The real estate agent told me the difference was in the colors and unique design of my space. That was my “ah-ha” moment. I thought maybe I had a point of view to share and decided to document my next move into a new city rental with a portable design bent—décor that you can take with you. Living in a Nutshell, the blog, was born.Tell us more about your new book.

The book is full of accessible small space design ideas, DIY projects and budget-friendly tips that help to uplift the look and feel of living in a tiny box into something that is a little more luxurious, cozy and unique. I personally painted, découpaged and sewed my way through the book finessing each how-to so the reader will be successful. I want the reader to think of me as their design buddy who doesn’t judge and who has made all the big mistakes for you. I am not a professional decorator who aspires to knock Martha Stewart off of her “domestic goddess” throne. I am just the girl next door who has a passion for design and who loves to share decorating triumphs amassed from designing over a dozen pocket-sized spaces.

Which project from the book is your favorite and why?

(On page 73) I included two framed photos of my older brother and sister before the Korean War erupted. At the time my father was in America establishing his medical practice. I added vintage bifocal lenses to the outside of the frames to magnify the details of the photos and to draw the viewer in. My father sent the toy car in the photo from America. Personalizing a space with meaningful mementos makes every inch of a teeny space matter. With a budget of only $100 – which project do you recommend for first time Do-It-Yourselfers for a quick room facelift?

(On page 24) For first-time DIY’ers, this is an easy way to ease into color and paint without breaking the bank. For about $50 I like taping off a chair rail border along the walls of a foyer about 40” from the floor. Carry a border above the doorway and top it off with molding appliqués you attach with Command picture hanging strips—the ones with the interlocking teeth. It’s a simple way to add architectural interest to any space. Who ate all the caviar from your Caviar Dreams project? (I hope Scooter got a taste)

My cat Scooter He wishes! This girl’s on a budget so those brand new tins I bought from a wholesale place online for about $7 a piece. A late night walk past a famous NYC food emporium called Zabar’s inspired the project. They were tossing out huge garbage bags full of empty caviar tins but they were so heavy and stinky that my husband at the time refused to allow them into the apartment.Where is your favorite spot in your Little Maison and how would you describe it: Hands down it’s my bed. It feels like a cozy cocoon and I never get tired of looking at Tord Boontje’s paper Dawn Curtain on the walls.

Thank you again to Janet for sharing Living in a Nutshell! Visit her online:

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The race is on to book a venue and start planning my wedding! Since we are aiming for this Fall, it’s definitely time to gather some inspirational photos of dresses and accessories. Of course, my aesthetic will fare toward vintage but I do love a modern touch too. In round one of gathering inspiration I fell in love with 77Diamonds eternity rings and the gowns from Fancy Bridal. Suggestions are VERY welcome since the next step is purchasing some of these lovely things!

Above – Polka Dot Perfection – The skirt on the Rebecca Dress by Fancy Bridal is spectacular! The Adarna ring from 77Diamonds would make a perfect match for my estate ring. BHLDN’s polka-dot Mary Janes are a fun whimsical touch to the look.

Below – Classic Hollywood – This art deco inspired Diedre dress by Fancy Bridal is so chic; I love the way the sleeves fall. The veil – I’m still swooning over just about everything Preston & Olivia creates. More on that HERE. Another lovely band of gold, rose gold to be precise, the Somoa by 77Diamonds. Finally, a vintage clutch by Fashion Rerun.

Below – Black & White Chic – This collection is more about the concept, less about the complete look. The Suzette dress by Fancy Bridal had me at the big bow! The black gold Vogue ring is my favorite of the 77Diamonds eternity rings. Not sure if I could pull it off as my wedding band but definitely a first anniversary gift! This 50’s style birdcage veil by Agnes Hart is chic perfection. I can see it with so many types of dresses. Last but not least, these Vera Wang heels by David’s Bridal are just too sweet to pass by!